Join International Programs for the sixth installment in their Global Alumni Spotlight Series featuring alumna Meembo Changula (MS urban and regional planning '10). Changula, who attended Iowa as a Fulbright Scholar, will talk with UI International Programs Associate Provost and Dean Russ Ganim about her career, emerging economies, sustainability, and what we can learn from what’s going on in East Africa to help Iowa and the world.
Free and open to the public, the discussion will be held on September 15, 2022, from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. (CDT), and will take place virtually through Zoom.
Meembo Nchimunya Changula has a Bachelor of Science in urban and regional planning from the Copperbelt University in Kitwe, Zambia. She earned a Master of Science in urban and regional planning from the University of Iowa in 2010, where she studied as a Fulbright scholar, graduating with double specializations in economic development, and land use and environmental planning. The program’s research-oriented focus on analytical urban planning, public policy, and sustainability had a significant formative role in her urban planning career. For an international student, Iowa also provided a warm multi-cultural learning environment in which she forged many lasting relationships.
After graduating, Meembo went on to work in Zambia’s Ministry of Local Government in various positions—her last being principal planner-forward planning—providing leading expertise in sustainable urban development at national, regional, and local scales, and pioneering several urban policy reform initiatives. She was also the national focal point for UN-Habitat, leading Zambia’s contribution to global development frameworks such as SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and the New Urban Agenda; and served on the National Lands Tribunal. In 2021, Meembo decided to take her urban planning career to the international development field, joining ICLEI Africa as senior professional officer: urban planning. In her new role she is the project manager on the World-Bank-funded Urban Planning and Development Control Strengthening Programme in Tanzania.
Meembo has also actively served in professional leadership roles, and was previously honorary secretary of the Zambia Institute of Planners, and president of the Zambia-USA Exchange Alumni Association.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Daniel Vorwerk in advance at daniel-vorwerk@uiowa.edu or 319-467-1619.
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.